On Sunday, October 29, Harriet Chapel – Catoctin Episcopal Parish installed its new rector, The Reverend Sally Joyner-Giffin. The Right Reverend John Rabb, Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, officiated at the Celebration of New Ministry service.

Pastor Sally, as she is called by her parishioners at Harriet Chapel, graduated from The School of Theology in Sewanee, TN, and served at St. James Episcopal Church in Sewanee, where she was ordained.

Prior to attending seminary, Pastor Sally was a teacher and a counselor. She was active in volunteer work and was involved in various ministries at All Saints Church in Frederick, but she says, "God kept nagging me and urging me into ordained ministry." Finally, Pastor Sally says, she heeded God’s call and began the screening and training process required by the Diocese of Maryland. Her husband, John, and children, HollyAnne and John Grey, got involved in the process when the Diocese directed Sally to attend a residential seminary, rather than commute to one close by. To do this, the whole family had to pull up roots. "The idea was that we had to leave our old life behind, so we could be ‘formed’ into a clergy family. It was a leap of faith for us all because my husband had to give up his job and my children had to leave their schools, but had trust in God and it turned out to be a remarkable experience."

New Episcopal priests usually serve in churches far from where they started, so Sally and her family did not expect to return to Frederick County. They were surprised when Sally was called to be the Rector of Harriet Chapel, a historic chapel located three miles south of Thurmont near the Catoctin Furnace. "We were amazed and pleased to be called to Harriet Chapel. It is a wonderful church. When new people come to our services they often say, ‘This feels like home,’ and it’s true. Harriet Chapel is a little church, but it has a big heart. It’s a community of faithful believers where everyone feels like one big family," commented Pastor Sally.